"Where's the foreman? You have a foreman, right? Someone in charge? Someone who actually does know something."
But the foreman knew nothing. Or at least he claimed to know nothing. And Lem had left at a run.
He tried Simona again, and this time she answered, her head appearing in the holo above the dash, her face flat and without emotion. Lem didn't wait for her to speak first. "Why didn't you tell me the drones had launched?"
She seemed unsurprised by the question and unfazed by his tone. "I don't work for you, Lem. I'm your father's assistant. My job is to keep him informed."
"You told me I had three more days."
"I didn't lie. When I gave you that information, that was the schedule."
"You knew I had people heading toward the Formics. I told you that."
"No, you told me you had a team preparing to go. You didn't tell me when they were leaving."
"They've already left. They're at the ship now, Simona. My father has to abort. If the drones fire on the ship, my people are dead."
"Can't you contact them?"
"Of course I can."
"Then call them yourself and have them pull out. The drones won't reach the ship for another few hours."
Lem's voice rose. "They can't pull out that fast, Simona. If they rush away from the ship, the Formics will detect their movements and blow them away. They have to move slowly, at a drift. And even if they started drifting now, they wouldn't be far enough away by the time the drones arrived. If the glasers fire on the Formic ship, the subsequent gravity field will expand outward and consume my people and their shuttle. Are you following me here? They die if they run, they die if they drift. There's no scenario in which they survive if the drones attack. Father has to postpone. My people need days to get clear."
"They don't have days, Lem. They have hours."
"Are you listening to me? Is your mind processing the words I'm forming into sentences? The drones can't attack." The casual way she was regarding him was infuriating, as if she already knew every one of his arguments and simply didn't care.
"Where is my father?"
"In a very important meeting. He can't be disturbed."
"He's about to be disturbed. Where is he?"
"He's inaccessible, Lem. I'm sorry."
"We're talking about people's lives, Simona. My father can afford a momentary interruption."
"No, he can't. Not in this meeting anyway. I'm sorry, Lem. I wish I could do more. Now you answer a question for me: How did you get inside the drone plant? I just spoke with the foreman. Who let you inside?"
Lem disconnected, and Simona's head winked out. She wasn't going to help.
He debated calling Benyawe but then decided against it. If she knew about the launch she'd fly into a panic, insisting that they contact Victor and Imala, which would only put them into a panic as well. No, Lem would handle this. He didn't need Benyawe barking her disapproval. That wouldn't help his anxiety or the situation.
He made another holo call, this time to Father's office. No one answered, which was odd since Father had a team of secretaries on staff around the clock. It meant Simona had gotten to them already and told them to avoid his calls, or she had put a block on his holo signature. Either way, it meant she was sandbagging him. He would have to find Father himself.
But where? The tunnel system was extensive, stretching for several kilometers in every direction, a labyrinth with secret wings and levels not found on any map. Father could be anywhere. Or he may not be in the tunnels at all. He could be dining with a potential client in Imbrium. Or visiting one of the shipyards, or a hundred other places.
Who are you meeting with, Father? What could be so important?
The skimmer Lem was flying was a company vessel, he remembered. It was connected to the company's data system. It knew all, saw all. It was better than Simona.
"Computer, access today's meeting schedule for Ukko Jukes."
"I'm sorry," the woman's voice said. "You do not have access privileges."
Of course I don't. Father's security restrictions on me saw to that.